Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

David Boehm (dialogue)
Erwin S. Gelsey (writer)

Release Date:

27 May 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Tagline:

The Biggest Show On Earth!

Plot:

Millionaire turned composer Dick Powell rescues unemployed Broadway people with a new play.

Plot Keywords:

Composer | Chorus Girl | Doughboy | Stage Performance | Hard Boiled Dame

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Warren William	...	J. Lawrence Bradford
Joan Blondell	...	Carol King
Aline MacMahon	...	Trixie Lorraine
Ruby Keeler	...	Polly Parker
Dick Powell	...	Brad Roberts (Robert Treat Bradford)
Guy Kibbee	...	Fanuel H. Peabody
Ned Sparks	...	Barney Hopkins
Ginger Rogers	...	Fay Fortune

Also Known As:

Golddiggers of 1933 (USA) (alternative spelling)
High Life (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Cut from the release print was Ginger Rogers' version of "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song" (music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin), warbled atop a white piano in a nightclub, where she can be spotted briefly in a long shot of the orchestra. Ginger's prerecording still exists.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the violin sequence, the cord for the lights on the violin disappears and reappears throughout.

Quotes:

Trixie Lorraine: Exuse me. Come here Fay, I have something I wan-ta show you.
Fay Fortune: what do you want?
Trixie Lorraine: Do you see that?
Fay Fortune: See what?
Trixie Lorraine: Can't you read? Where it says 'Exit'?
Fay Fortune: Exit?
Trixie Lorraine: You said it, sister. You start walking and you keep walking, and if you ever come near him again I'll break BOTH your legs, now scram!
Fay Fortune: I could easily resent that!
[as Fay walks away, Trixie kickes her in the bottom, making Fay squeal/shriek]
Faneul H. Peabody: Did Little Fay cry out?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in King Kong (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Gold Diggers Song (We're in the Money)

THE HAPPY ENDING IS NOT THE END.

There is a pattern to 1930's Hollywood musicals; struggle to put on show proceeds alongside struggle for love to conquer all. And in the end both struggles are successfully concluded. It is a pattern that is broken by "Gold Diggers Of 1933". Sure, all of the usual elements are in place, including the Hungry, Penniless Showgirl Depression setting. But where this movie differs is in the fact that after the various plot strands are neatly tied up, it doesn't end. Instead, we are treated to the last big production number,"My Forgotten Man", as downbeat as it was possible to get in 30's Hollywood. All the Busby Berkeley musicals paid lip service to the Great Depression, but this one goes much further, as "My Forgotten Man" was the last, most enduring image of the film, and the one that audiences left the theatre with. It's placement was a brave decision on the part of whoever made it, and it would be interesting to learn of the public reaction at the time. Because while it is undoubtedly true that in an era of deprivation, you can't blithely make movies that are totally divorced from reality, it's equally true that people want to be reassured there is a better life, and they won't be scratching around in the dirt forever. Personally, I love the number, and it's placement. It's something that has fascinated me since my very first viewing 7 years ago, but it seems to be a point that not a lot of critics have picked up on. Perhaps it wasn't so unusual after all!